What is the difference between House Cleaners and Housekeepers?

Housecleaners clean your house. They concentrate on removing dirt, dust and cobwebs. It's a good idea to have your house picked up and the clutter put away so the person can concentrate on removing the dirt.If you want someone to tidy up after you and your family, then you need a Housekeeper.

As a general rule they supply their own cleaning products, equipment, and transportation.

Housecleaners have limited time as they may have several houses scheduled for the day, and need to get in there and get the job done, so they usually charge per job. There may be more than one person working in your home as a team or a different person each time, according to the business you select.

Housecleaners typically get more money per hour because they are running a business.They have their own insurance and pay their own taxes. According to the state you are in, they may need to collect state Sales & Use Tax and pay it to the state in quarterly payments. Pennsylvania and New Jersey require this. This is not a requirement in South Carolina.

Housekeepers may wash dishes and/or load the dishwasher. They may tidy up the kitchen, bathrooms, and other areas in your home. They may do laundry, change sheets, ironing, or whatever you may have negotiated with them. You may have discussed cleaning also, such as vacuuming, dusting etc.

Housekeepers generally are paid by the hour. You are required to treat them as an employee, which means that you are responsible to deduct taxes and pay them to the government. This includes Federal income tax, State income tax, Medicare, and Unemployment. There may be more taxes according to the state and city you live in.Look at the service at Care.com if you need help with figuring payments.

Don't depend on the Housekeeper to pay the taxes. If he or she doesn't, then you may be responsible for fees and penalties when it is discovered by the government, because your housekeeper will be considered your employee.